Note: first published last June 16, 2008 under Anthony's column Vibes and Visions in the Life section of The Daily Tribune.
We walk on Earth once in this life time. Many are given the opportunity to act to the needed action for perfection but very few are ready to face the challenge of this golden opportunity of service to man for the glory of God. AVV608
Whenever my birthday comes, I become quite emotional and sentimental indeed. Some laugh, others call me one-of-kind. Others brand me as crazy and foolish, and the rest just can’t believe the dreams and wishes I have in my head, which seem to them unrealistic and impossible. But then they come true. I am grateful for those brave believers who take the golden opportunity I offer them to share with me.
Every year I am so grateful for my life on Earth. It is a blessing from God and I continue to celebrate it and remember the day I was born. In celebrating birthdays we have different ways of looking at it and life in general. Some of my friends had no chance to celebrate the day with me, but that was fine and normal. It would be grand if the important people in your life were with you on your special day all the time. Others can’t celebrate theirs because they had passed on ahead of us. Some just cannot understand the challenges that life has given them and choose to live in desperation and self-pity, blaming themselves for the bad luck, or blaming others and even God. I have had so many meetings with people who only look at the negative past or negative probability of the future that they practically stop living, no matter how much encouragement and prodding they get from positive individuals and groups.
As for me, I am very happy and thankful that I am still in one piece, mindful of others’ needs and grateful for what God has entrusted in me. In this respect, I look for something to do for others; planning a different project or program every year as thanksgiving for the blessings I have been given.
The golden opportunity for me to do something good and different this year was one of the biggest in my life so far.
As my birthday neared, I prayed to God that I would be given a chance to do something meaningful for my birthday and the 10th year of my healing mission. As always, God showed me signs I couldn’t ignore. As I looked up at the pile of construction materials I had, I realized God wanted me to build something. The answer came as the days came closer to my birth date.
A friend of mine, Frances Gloria, invited me to guest in their radio program, the Inner Mind on Radio at DZMM. She is the co-host of a dear friend, Prof. Jaime Licauco, who, at that time, was in Poland. During the radio program, I spontaneously announced that as thanksgiving for my 10th year in service of healing and to celebrate my coming birthday, I would help construct comfort rooms in a far-flung school for I had noticed that some of the schools in our previous outreach programs didn’t have toilets.
The night before we were set to visit the school that had been chosen by my group of volunteers, however, I had a vision of a road leading to nowhere. With that image running though my head, I knew it was God’s thought that was feeding my mind of this information, although I still didn’t know where to go and what it was exactly. Asking God to guide me toward the people I should help is important as my capabilities and logistics are limited, far too small compared to other organizations that also do humanitarian work.
Following intuition, I and my volunteer group took the longer route going to the site of our choice. Even before they could ask, I told them I wanted to see other places first, and if along the way there were no schools that needed help, then our choice would be the first one we had chosen.
Cruising along a main road, I instinctively slowed down to a sign that indicated a school was located on top of the hill. But it was not the road I had seen my vision, so I continued traveling towards the site we had initially chosen. Then, on one bend of the zigzag road, I saw a small sign indicating there was a school up there, somewhere in the rocky, muddy, uphill road to nowhere. I just couldn’t believe what I saw – it was exactly the same road I saw in my vision. I had to reverse and turn back after several kilometers, to the amazement of my companions. They hadn’t seen the sign, and I didn’t tell them what I had just read.
We drove towards the neglected road uphill, going up to the Sierra Madre mountain range. When we finally reached the school, I was still in a state of amazement. My companions started to work! They started inquiring about the school administrator, looking for the area where to build the comfort room of the school, etc. But my sight was focused on something else. The school was not finished at all. Some classrooms had no roof, no flooring and only skeleton of walls, no windows, and no doors except for two classrooms modesty finished. I told myself God wanted me to build this school; He wanted me to finish this.
My mind was beset with many problems of logistics and time constraints. But again, my belief in God overwhelmed me. I said to the people there that we would help them finish the school in one week. Everyone was laughing believing it was a joke. It is already difficult to construct a school on top of a mountain, during the rainy or worse, typhoon season of the year, so one week would be almost impossible.
God had sent me a golden opportunity and I was determined not to let it slip away. I was so happy, but the cost was greater than what I had. I thought, if God sent me there, then He would be by my side in this challenge. Nothing is impossible for those who believe in God’s power.
To make the story short, the school was finished in one week, with 100 volunteer workers who helped in the labor and construction of the school. Some special friends donated construction materials, paid the bills of other construction materials, lent trucks to help us move materials and supplies for the schools, and one owner of a prestigious school donated 100 school chairs. Help just poured in by God’s will when I was almost down and out.
On the first day of the school, we went back to surprise the children and teachers, and gave away school bags containing school materials for the students, again through the help of another friend. It was nice to see the children in their newly built classrooms and to see the children in their new school bags. The hope of the future was clearly visible on their smiles of happiness.
The project was not without hitches though. We encountered trials and challenges along the way. Fence-sitters did nothing but pull down our morale with negative comments and by casting doubts on my motives. The weather didn’t cooperate as well. From start to finish, the rains and storms battered us. A key personnel of mine got sick while staying in the hilly school compound, I was maligned by a toughie in the project area for he didn’t know who I was (I chose to be incognito in the entire operation, a member of the labor force), and the saddest part was that the people close to me berated me for being good to others and less to them.
I have always believed that if God is with me, who can win against me? Not than the typhoon, not the thought of having less money, not the pressure of time, nor the berating and maligning of those selfish people. My overflowing love to serve God by helping His creation will be my strength. I pity those who choose to be fence-sitters, those who talk more but do nothing. The golden opportunity goes right out of their hands. I congratulate Mrs. Ofelia Tagle, Mrs. Linda Cruz and a young man, Ramon Padua, who, in spite of their ailment and limited abilities and capabilities, joined us in the great task of making the school a functional one. Special thanks also to our volunteer drivers, Ablog, Mhel and Murphy. I thank my volunteers who joined me throughout, in spite of accusations of vested interest.
Golden opportunities seldom come to us. Many times we let it go and lose the chance of heaven’s gratitude to those who work in God’s name. Heaven responded to me by sending me a good construction project for my own construction business, which will give me enough income for my next project for others. The local government where I reside is eying me to run for the next elections, but I declined. I want to help people the way I have been doing for years. The true essence of helping requires exertion and so self-promotion. Politicians are publicity-conscious, putting their photos and names on services and projects made not from their own money, but the people’s money. That’s why I believe there is not even a single politician in heaven.
Sharing one’s blessings, especially to those who don’t know you, is showing gratitude for God’s mercy. God will keep on blessing us for He sees us as an administrator of heaven’s wealth for proper distribution. Live life to the fullest. It’s fun and fulfilling. And the most satisfying of all is giving others the opportunity to help others. The next time a golden opportunity knocks on your door, grab it and feel the difference, and be counted. Let no man hail you, because heavens and God will.
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